Frederick Steele

Frederick Steele (14 January 1819-12 January 1868) was a US Army Major-General during the American Civil War.

Biography
Frederick Steele was born in Delhi, New York in 1819, and he graduated from West Point in 1843 and served in the US Army during the Mexican-American War and the Yuma War. Just after the start of the American Civil War, he fought at the Battle of Wilson's Creek as a colonel. In January 1862, he was promoted to Brigadier-General, and from August to October 1862 he commanded Union forces in the American Southwest. On 13 March 1863, he was promoted to Major-General, and he fought in the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou in December 1862 and the Battle of Arkansas Post in January 1863 before commanding a division during the Siege of Vicksburg. On 27 July 1863, he was given command of the Union army in Arkansas, capturing Little Rock in September 1863. From January to December 1864, he commanded the VII Corps, and he was forced to retreat to Little Rock after the Confederate general Edmund Kirby Smith defeated him in the Camden Expedition. However, his victory at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry on 29-30 April 1864 was considered the greatest defensive victory of the war, and he commanded African-American troops at Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely in early 1865. In June 1865, he was sent to command US troops along the Rio Grande in Texas, and he later fought in the Snake War in Washington. He retired in 1867 and died in San Mateo, California in 1868 from apoplexy.